Club innovation: competition builds club spirit and membership

The Rotary Club of Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA, gave a membership drive a competitive twist. Teams vied for glory in recruiting members, and the result was 24 new Rotarians.

Looking for ways to recruit new members and engage current members, the Rotary Club of Jonesboro decided to harness the competitive spirit. In March 2016, it mounted a membership drive with teams competing to bring in the most new members.

The membership drive was set up like a sports league, with captains “drafting” their teams from the active club membership. The team captains in this friendly competition were immediate Past President (and District Governor-nominee) John Deacon; President-elect Brock Cline; President-nominee Lisa Golden; and President Beverly Parker. Everyone in the club participated.

Rotary Club of Jonesboro, Arkansas:
Members: 131
New members from membership drive: 24
History: Chartered in 1919, this club has a proud history of engagement with its local community. The club was a major contributor to the building of what is now Consolidated Youth Services (a shelter that grew into a major local service provider), and to mark Rotary’s 100th anniversary, it funded a playground.

Looking for ways to recruit new members and engage current members, the Rotary Club of Jonesboro decided to harness the competitive spirit. In March 2016, it mounted a membership drive with teams competing to bring in the most new members.

The membership drive was set up like a sports league, with captains “drafting” their teams from the active club membership. The team captains in this friendly competition were immediate Past President (and District Governor-nominee) John Deacon; President-elect Brock Cline; President-nominee Lisa Golden; and President Beverly Parker. Everyone in the club participated.

Brian Rega, the club’s membership chair, acted as commissioner of the league. He gave points to team members for hosting a guest at a meeting, if that guest pursued membership, and then if the guest was approved as a member. Bonus points were available if the new member was a young professional or added a previously unrepresented vocational category to the club. And, as Rega notes, “there were other surprise bonuses throughout, at the commissioner’s discretion, of course.”

After the kickoff of the drive, the club encouraged teams to invite their recruits to a special program delivered by club member and Past District Governor Ray Keller, an internationally known business and motivational speaker. “Keller told his Rotary story and described the impact the organization has had around the world,” notes Rega. “We were able to use it as the required Rotary information session for new members.”

Club Innovation

Each month, we bring you suggestions of how to innovate in your approach to membership. See more ideas in previous columns:

A leaderboard posted weekly updates, recognizing both teams and top individual performers. “It was great fun, especially for a 98-year-old club with a reputation for being somewhat stodgy,” says Rega. “‘This ain’t your father’s Rotary Club,’ we explained to members and prospects.” One seasoned Rotarian recruited his first new member during the drive and said it was because he wanted to help his team win.

During the six-week drive, the club hosted 76 potential Rotarians and inducted 24 members. Afterward, members celebrated their success at a club meeting. “We considered having overall high-point Team John being served lunch by the other teams. We also considered having any member who recruited a new member being served steak while everyone else ate something cheaper,” recalls Rega. “We decided to share the goodwill among everyone, because in the end, we all won by having those new members. As I said on the day awards were presented, ‘We all eat “fancy,” as one team, one family.’”